


If not for us, then for the baby

by thatgirlinredandgold



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Episode: s01e21 Ragtag, F/M, FitzSimmons - Freeform, Gen, Pregnancy, Simmons is a terrible liar
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-06
Updated: 2014-07-06
Packaged: 2018-02-07 16:30:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1905906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatgirlinredandgold/pseuds/thatgirlinredandgold
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All Fitz knows is that he needs to save Simmons, and it seems like lying might be the only way. </p>
<p>Based off a tumblr post by leofilz</p>
            </blockquote>





	If not for us, then for the baby

**Author's Note:**

> So I was scrolling through the fitzsimmons tag on tumblr, when I stumbled across this post that really inspired me to actually write something for the fandom I've been obsessed with recently. 
> 
> Original post: "ok guys hear me out but what if fitz had pulled a peeta mellark at the end of ragtag and been like
> 
> 'but ward you can’t toss us into the ocean because of the baby'" via: leofilz.tumblr.com

They say that when you’re about to die your whole life flashes through your mind, replaying all of your greatest successes and most devastating failures, allowing you one last chance to remember everything you've ever lived for. However, none of this rang true for one Leopold Fitz.

There he was, standing next to his best friend in the world, knowing that he was about to die, and instead of thinking about the life he lived, his mind wanders closer to the what ifs. It was a dangerous game, he knows, to allow himself to think about all the things he could have done with his life, all the things he could have discovered, all the people he could have met, all the experiences he would never live. All of that left a gaping hole in his chest, which only bled more profusely as he allowed the thoughts to fester. His hand acts on its own accord, reaching over to grasp the clammy fingers of the only person he knew could keep him grounded as he banged against the glass of the med pod door, pleading for a chance for the both of them to live the life that was slipping farther and farther away.

And then a thought hit him like a ten ton brick to the chest. These were his last moments with Jemma Simmons. Their whole lives, career, friendship, had led only to this- uselessly beating against a glass door and calling a name that fell on unhearing ears. And though he knows it’s torture, he allows himself a brief second to think about what they could have been in a perfect world, a world where Hydra didn’t exist, friends didn’t betray each other, and he never had to worry about Jemma being ripped away from him. He could almost see them spending the rest of their days working side by side in a lab, still together like it was always meant to be. And though their relationship was confusing at best, he could see all the potential they had to be something more than friends. He could see them one day deciding to get married, because honestly everybody figured they would anyway, buying a house together, maybe even having-

“A baby.”  

The words tumble out of his mouth before he has a chance to register that he’s started thinking out loud. Jemma turns towards him, eyes wide in shock and brows creased in confusion. But suddenly, a plan is starting to take shape in his mind, because now one goal is plainly evident in this whole mess of a situation they’ve landed in. He has to save Jemma Simmons, because she deserved that life, if not with him, then with someone else.

“Ward, please, I know you’re a good person. I know you care. Just stop this! If not for us, then," he pauses just long enough to take a deep breath to steady himself. "Do it for the baby.” He hears Simmons let out a tiny gasp as she finally realizes what he’s doing, so he grips her hand only tighter.

Ward is hesitating over the control panel, shoulders hunched and breathing slow and controlled. Fitz seizes this brief moment to continue. “I know I can’t expect you to spare both of us, but we were friends. Still are, I hope. And I know you’ve done bad things, but you don’t have to do this. Not to the baby.”

Ward turns suddenly, and Fitz gulps back his surprise, hoping his face doesn’t betray how fast his heart is beating or how violently his hands are shaking. But Ward’s eyes aren’t on Fitz, they’re locked on Simmons. She stiffens next to him, her face painfully transparent.

She unlocks her hand with Fitz’s and places both awkwardly on her stomach. She takes a deep breath and meets Ward’s still gaze. “It’s true, Ward,” she says, her voice weak and shaking. “I’m pregnant.”

She’s starting to crumble, Fitz can tell. And if he’s honest with himself, he’s a little surprised that she was able to play it off as well as she did. Simmons is a terrible liar. But if the panicked glances his way are any indication, this act isn’t going to hold up for much longer.

He decides to jump in before Simmons can do any more damage to the situation. “Please Ward, she’s only two months in. Babies don’t deserve to die before they’ve had a chance to live.” He’s laying it on a bit thick, and if Ward’s suspicious glare is any indication, he knows it too. “We found out back at the base, but didn’t want to tell anyone because-”

“It’s Coulson’s.”

Two heads whip around at once, and Fitz is absolutely horrified. How could she be so damn _stupid_? Ward was buying it, which is a miracle on its own, but then she had to go and ruin it all. Couldn’t she see that he was trying to save her?

Jemma seems to realize almost immediately what she’s done, and her hand flies up to her mouth, almost too shocked for words. She tries to backpedal as fast as she can. “I-uh, I mean…”  

Ward looks more annoyed than anything, but he’s not throwing them into the ocean, so Fitz takes that as a sign that there is still hope. But then Ward starts to laugh, a slow chuckle that is dark and not at all humorous, and he feels the laugh wrap around his heart like an iron fist. “Coulson? You had sex with Coulson?”

“Yes.” Fitz is surprised by the conviction in her voice, though her cheeks are burning pink with shame. Her voice is still shaky, and it’s obvious to everyone that she’s lying, but she’s the bravest person he’s ever known so she trudges on. “We were drunk, and it didn’t really mean anything, and we swore that it would never happen again, but one time is really all it takes. I mean from a biological standpoint it’s-”

“Jemma.” Fitz cuts her off, and they glance over at each other, communicating in a way that only they can. It’s over, and all three of them know it. But Ward is staring at them, and still not making a move back towards the control panel. It’s that tiny detail that gives him just a small spark of hope. He feels Jemma slip her hand into his, and he knows that she feels it too.

Baby or no baby, Ward still cares about them, and in the end Fitz believes that alone might save them. He tries one final time. “Ward, please.”

It all happens so fast, that Fitz barely has time to register what’s happening. Footsteps are pounding down the hallway, and Ward has turned abruptly back towards the control panel and is pressing buttons, and they’re sliding backwards towards their death, and he knows it’s over when Ward turns back around and fixes them with an expression that is far too sad to belong to somebody that evil, but the last thing Fitz remembers seeing is a small smile distorting his face as he gives them his own goodbye in a single phrase.

“Congratulations, Simmons.”

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be really lighthearted and funny throughout, but as it often happens, the words kind of got away from me and I ended up with some half-angsty fic that I did not at all intend on having. 
> 
> I'm sort of okay with how it turned out, but I'm also overly critical of everything I write, so who actually knows if it's actually good or not. I certainly don't.


End file.
